Telly-loving Brits are turning their favourite pastime into a money spinner to beat the cost of living crisis, new research reveals.
As daily expenses continue to soar, a survey of 2,000 people found half of UK households are turning to technology to find innovative ways to earn cash, with an average of an extra £910 per year.
The research by mobile network EE discovered out of those practising so called 'Techonomics', one in six are now raking it in by offering opinions on television shows, making it the country's most popular side hustle.
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Meanwhile, 14% of people earn cash doing market research online, 10% share mobile data with loved ones and 8% are getting paid to look after dogs.
Glasgow has been crowned the side hustle capital of the UK, with 48% of residents finding creative ways to earn extra cash, followed by Birmingham with 46% and London's 43%.
Brits are finding a range of ways to boost their bank balances, including using tech to sell pictures such as sunsets or pretty views from your smartphone to be used as stock images online (6%), getting paid to reach online game milestones (10%) or becoming a part-time tour guide in your local town or city (6%).
The research of 2,000 UK consumers also found Brighton residents are earning the most cash from tech hacks and side hustles.
The most popular 'Techonomic' hacks are reviewing TV shows (16%) and doing market research for brands (14%).
Following the surge in dog ownership when many people were working from home, households are now finding pets can be an extra income with one in 25 (4%) renting out their dogs for lonely or stressed people to walk and 6% earning extra cash by dog sitting for others.
Sharon Meadows, director of broadband and mobile at EE, said: "Getting through tough times starts at home, by squeezing the value out of every connection in the family.
"With EE, there are lots of ways to get more out of the services you already pay for like family data sharing, phone trade-ins and repairs.
"Our research also shows how much people rely on good quality products that give more value.
"Whether that's selling pictures of sunsets from your holiday or renting out your dog – EE's plans can help more families stay connected for longer and unlock the value of side hustles."
Economists are warning the cost of living crisis is likely to hit younger adults hardest due to lower levels of home ownership, lower real-terms earnings and less savings to fall back on.
Despite this, four times as many under 35s say they are investing in better quality tech to get more value in the long term.
Consumers are also looking at the long-game when it comes to spending habits, believing that buying from a trusted brand is almost twice as important as getting the lowest overall price (31% versus 17%).
With many households having to find new ways to make their income go further, the research found mobile (19%) and broadband (17%) were the bills Brits thought gave them the best value for money, the research found, ahead of gas (7%), electricity (9%) and water (15%) bills.
Twelve ways UK households use tech to generate cash
Give opinions on TV shows 16%
Market research 14%
Get paid to reach milestones in online games 10%
Share data with family members 10%
Dog sitting organised via apps 8%
Sell sunset photos 6%
Work as a tour guide in your area 6%
Make or sell greetings cards 6%
Sell ideas or solutions to problems online 6%
Rent out a spare room online 6%
Rent out your driveway 5%
Rent out dogs to lonely or stressed people 4%
Top five UK's side hustle hotspots
City Residents who have at least one tech side hustle
Glasgow 48%
Birmingham 46%
London 43%
Cardiff 39%
Sheffield 37%
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